At least 39 people, including children, have been killed in two separate attacks in western Niger, near the border with Burkina Faso. The Nigerien defense ministry confirmed the incidents on Saturday.
The attacks took place between December 12 and 14 in the villages of Libiri and Kokorou in the Tera border region, an area frequently targeted by jihadist groups.
In a statement, the ministry reported that “21 people were killed in Libiri and 18 in Kokorou”. The attacks, described as “barbaric acts targeting defenseless civilian populations”, were carried out by militants under pressure from ongoing military operations. However, the ministry did not give exact dates for the killings.
The Tera region, which lies close to the borders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, is known to be a hotspot for violence. Jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operate in the area, launching frequent attacks against civilians and security forces.
On December 7, 21 civilians were killed when gunmen ambushed a goods convoy. Then, on December 11, reports emerged of a major attack in Chatoumane where over 90 soldiers and 40 civilians were said to have been killed.
Niger’s military government dismissed these reports, calling them “baseless assertions”, and accused international media of spreading misinformation. The government has since suspended BBC radio for three months, adding it to a list of Western outlets sanctioned since the military seized power in July 2023.
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